


Follow the Leader: Companions

by Tenebrae_Erebus



Series: Follow the Leader - Superpower AU [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Companion Piece, Ficlet Collection, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:14:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29405355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tenebrae_Erebus/pseuds/Tenebrae_Erebus
Summary: A collection of one-shots about a team of superpowered teens, the trials and tribulations of growing up, and all the little moments between the action that make them family.See first chapter for table of contents and chapter summaries!
Relationships: Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein
Series: Follow the Leader - Superpower AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2160168
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. Table of Contents

**These are meant to be read alongside my other fic,[Follow the Leader](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29032872/chapters/71259870), but if you're okay with some out of context interactions between super powered teens, I'm happy to have you! None of these are ** **particularly plot heavy (though some of them may or may not provide extra details), but they all provide some context and insight into the relationships and workings of the FtL Universe.**

**Below you'll find the table of contents, which tell you where each piece fits into the timeline as well as a short summary**

  1. **Mikasa and Marco Bonding ([Read with Chapter 3](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29032872/chapters/72242364)) - **Mikasa and Marco talk briefly during a rare period of down time (or as close to down time as they ever get). **Explores Mikasa's powers.**




	2. Marco and Mikasa Bonding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I introduce to you: super-sensory, selectively blind Mikasa. Will probably write a background character companion piece in the future. Enjoy!

As Jean kicks the door shut behind him, I let out a long-held breath, leaning back against the wall with a dull thud. Even with the door between us, the waves of grief, frustration, bitterness, and _loss_ are impossible to ignore. I knew that this would happen- I had been dreading it since the start of the mission but it’s different when you can feel _every little thing_. Erwin knew how hard it would be for me to sit here all night with those feelings just beyond my sight. I’m almost certain that this is purely an exercise in control and desensitization but it doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.

“You don’t have to stay; I’ve got it handled. I think your threat was more than enough.” I say, turning to where Mikasa has seated herself next to the door, back against the wall. I offer her a gentle smile despite myself. She simply shrugs, shifting to press more firmly against the wall, something on the other side obviously catching her attention before she relaxes.

 _You’re underestimating a telekinetic. Backup never hurts._ I smile at her quiet offer of companionship and follow her lead, sinking against my own wall. We’re facing each other, my legs stretched out across the carpet, hers pulled neatly to her chest where she rests her chin on her knees.

 _He’s upset. I’m sympathetic._ My shoulders lift in a shrug, and I turn my gaze down to the carpet to study our shoes, or rather, my shoes. Mikasa is in her socks, toes curling into the carpet idly.

 _That makes him more volatile._ I know she’s right, so I don’t say anything more on the matter. This is very much a pattern between the two of us- letting empathy getting the better of me and her measured, determined correction. We sit in silence, and Mikasa closes her eyes and tilts her head back.

It’s been a strange year. Exciting, but strange. Between relocating bases and the seemingly random acquisitions of the past eight months, I’m not sure what to make of Jean, whose story fits suspiciously well into our timeline. Our first field mission being dedicated to retrieving an exceptionally late bloomer doesn’t reassure me. I pick idly at my pant leg out of habit, doing my best to tune out the ever-present brain chatter, distant as most of it may be. I’ll be pulling a full twenty-four hours by the time it’s time to get Jean up. Hopefully I’ll be able to grab a few hours of sleep on the ride back to base.

 _He’s asleep_. Mikasa informs me. I already know- I had felt his fading consciousness, and the flickering of restless dreams flits beyond the door. I’m glad, not just because it means that I don’t have to worry about him running, but also because I know that it’s been a long, emotionally grueling day for him. He deserves some peace, or whatever semblance of it that he can get tonight. I don’t know what the next few months hold for him, but if I remember our basic training days properly, he’s going to be in for it.

 _You’re not using your sight like Levi wants you to_. I start. I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts right now. _Not since we took care of the cars._

 _I do better without it. Being blind is easier than being deaf._ She doesn’t bother to open her eyes, but the flicker of memory tells me more than enough. Mikasa’s memories are always interesting- they’re not painted with color and light like those of seeing people. Instead, they’re marked by sensation, experienced in a way that I would never be able to. It’s more information than I know what to do with- how she can tell whose footsteps are approaching before she can hear them, the distinct vibrations through the floor. The headache that develops behind her eyes with the unfamiliar light of the rising sun, the sky painted so vibrantly I’m unsure if they’re colors that I’ve even seen before. Absolute darkness, but the acute awareness of every breath and heartbeat in the car, every noisy rustle of the leaves and footsteps in a night I remember to be virtually silent, marked not by the glowing midnight moon but by the cool wind and pervasive smell of pine and unpleasant smell of gasoline that no street can seem to shake. Right now, with her back pressed against the wall, aware of every noise and vibration caused by every jostle of movement in the other room.

For Mikasa, being blind just _is_. With the sharpness of her other senses, to see in the way that Levi wants her to is unnecessary. If I were only able to use four of my senses at a time, I’d want to stick with what I had lived my whole life with too.

 _Being blind is easier than being deaf because you’ve_ always _been blind._ I point out with a soft snort. _Levi’s going to make you start training with Ymir to force you to use your sight._

Mikasa grimaces in response and my snort becomes a short, sharp burst of laughter.

 _Even_ you _need to get out of your comfort zone sometimes, Madam Super Soldier_. Her silence is response enough as I settle against the wall, letting out a small huff. _You’re better cut out for this than I am._ It’s the mental equivalent of word vomit, the way it just comes out.

 _You know how to handle the team. We trust your judgement._ There’s no room for argument in her words, but I try anyways.

 _You_ singlehandedl _y handle Eren. And you don’t let your emotions get the better of you._

 _I’m not responsible for anyone other than Eren._ Her tone is firm, biting even. I pause, fingers stopping in their picking.

 _I’m glad you’re my second._ I settle on finally.

_I’m not your second._

_Not technically you’re not._ She lets out a huff, a mix of annoyance and subdued affection and the silence settles between us again.

I check my watch- three am. Five more hours until phase two. I fix my eyes on the door, doing my best to clear the fog of exhaustion from my head. This job isn’t over yet.


End file.
